


Our Fate Is In Our Hands Now... (Rewritten)

by NukeRose



Category: Terminator (Movies), The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-06-09 13:17:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6908752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NukeRose/pseuds/NukeRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everybody has a secret... what will happen when they come to light? Connor's life had finally seemed safe and normal. What happens when old nightmares come back to haunt?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Happening Again...

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, now I was asked why I'm reviving both of my old abandoned crossovers as rewrites. The simple answer is, I'm doing it because I want to. The longer answer is that my new boyfriend Alex snooped through my laptop and read them and asked me to consider continuing them. So, here they are.

Connor's POV:

I was glad to be back at school, no matter how much I hated summer school, because it meant that I could see Jude. The fishing trip with my "dad" had been all kinds of awkward. It was times like those that I wished mom were still alive.

If the cancer hadn't killed her, then I guarantee that Sarah Connor would have been able to slap some sense into my "dad".

My mom was a woman who spent my whole childhood training me to be a post apocalyptic general, carting me around the country teaching me military tactics and how to fire practically every weapon in existence, while simultaneously racking up millions upon millions of dollars in property damage with help from me and a six foot tall leather clad walking tin can built decades in the future.

I think it's safe to say she could flatten a homophobic commercial real-estate agent with an attitude problem.

I snickered at the thought as I walked into science class. I noticed that the teacher wasn't there yet and rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Jude." I said as I slid into the seat next to him in science class, taking his hand.

I was so glad that he was more open about our relationship after the events of the prom. It felt great to be able to hold his hand at school.

"Sup, Connor?" He said, smiling at me softly.

"Glad to be back." I enthused.

"Weekend with your dad was that bad huh?" He asked.

"Ugh." I said dramatically, "I swear to god, he barely said two words to me the whole time. I wanted to drown myself in the lake. How was the party you threw for Callie?"

He winced.

"Let's not discuss it." He said, "Suffice it to say it was interesting."

The teacher chose that moment to walk in. It was not the usual teacher.

He was tall, looked young, and was muscular. He looked around the room with no emotion in his eyes.

"Wow." I whispered to Jude, "He takes his job a bit too seriously."

Jude was staring at the teacher with a thoughtful expression, which a split second gave way to a momentary look of horror, before he started glaring at him.

"Jude?" I asked.

Jude was glaring at the teacher, and the teacher just stared around at all of us with a deadpan expression.

It almost reminds me of... but no, it couldn't be.

"Good afternoon, students." The teacher said in an extremely emotionless and monotonous tone of voice, "Your normal teacher is out sick today, so I will be your substitute. I will start by taking attendance."

Jude tensed next to me.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Something feels... off about this guy." He said.

"Really?" I asked, "Just seems a bit boring to me."

"Jude Adams-Foster?" The teacher asked.

Jude raised his hand and continued glaring.

The weird teacher cocked his head and studied Jude for a second, before continuing on. He ran through the rest of the roll call until he stopped at my name.

"Connor Stevens?" The substitute called, "Connor John Stevens?"

"Here." I said, raising my hand.

It only took me an instant to wonder how he knew my middle name. Beside me, Jude's eyes widened and he looked at me.

"Your middle name is John?" He asked and his eyes were wide with fright.

"Yeah, why?"

His eyes widened in realization and he sucked in a breath. His eyes darted between me and the teacher.

"You're John Connor." he breathed.

Jude knows who I really am.

What. The. Serious. FUCK?

My eyes widened and I backed into my seat a bit.

"How...?" I started to ask, but I was interrupted by a voice coming from the front of the room.

"Primary Target. John Connor has been acquired."

My eyes widened.

No. It can't be possible...

...But then I saw the flash of red behind its eyes.

Jude flew into action. He grabbed me by my shoulders and threw me out of my chair as the gun came up.

BANG, BANG, BANG.

"RUN, CONNOR!"

I made it out of the door. I heard the gun go off three times, and I threw myself to the ground. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw something move, and then I heard a scream.

I turned just in time to see Jude hit the ground, bleeding from the chest.

"NOOOO!" I screamed, "JUUUDE!"

I started to move back to move him, but more shots were fired.

"R-r-run, C-Connor!" He croaked.

I took one last look at my fallen boyfriend.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, J-Jude."

I ran for my life, tears rolling down my face.

Jude saved my life.

He sacrificed himself.

I ran from the building and looked around desperately for a place to run, a place to hide.

I spotted the pier in the distance and I kept running, hoping that it would be open and people would be there.

By the time I stopped running, I was at the pier. The place was deserted. My heart dropped as I realized it was close. My legs were burning from exertion and the recently healed bullet wound to the foot was aching.

I collapsed against the wall for a moments rest, and tears started seeping from my eyes.

Jude was gone. It would have killed him. Finished him off.

Jude saved me, there was no way it would let him live.

I knew I didn't have much time to rest. That thing would be right behind me. They always were, and this time I was all alone. No protector to save my ass this time, no drill sergeant mother to help me.

I was alone...

...And I was being hunted again.

"Why does this keep happening to me?" I whimpered to myself.

I was interrupted from my miserable musings by a hand grabbing me by the shoulder and throwing me twelve feet across the parking lot.

Fuck. I looked up to see it coming straight towards me.

Nobody to protect me now.

I was going to die.

"DO IT!" I screamed at the advancing machine, "YOU METAL SWINE! DO IT!"

It stopped five feet in front of me. It raised its gun and pointed it at my head.

All of a sudden, a car came careening into the parking lot. It slammed into the Terminator, and pinned it to the wall. A small figure got out of the car with jumper cable in its hands, and popped the hood of the car. He hooked up the jumper cables to the battery of the running car and clipped them to the side of the Terminators head. Its head started Jerking around before going still moments later. My savior reached forward and plucked the gun from its hands.

I didn't know it was possible to short circuit a Terminator with a car battery.

I sagged with relief.

"Oh thank god."

I walked up to stand behind my savior.

"Is it dead?" I asked.

"No. Short circuited. We don't have much time."

I turned my head so quickly that I almost gave myself whiplash at the sound of my savior's voice. He turned to me and looked into my eyes. He lowered the hood of his sweatshirt.

"Come with me if you want to live."

Standing in front of me, in all of his glory, was Jude.

I gaped in shock.

"Jude?" I croaked, "But it... it killed you!"

"No it didn't." He said, "It only tried to."

I approached him slowly, shaking very hard.

"It couldn't kill me." He answered, "No matter how hard it tried."

He was indeed bleeding from several wounds to his chest. I touched one of them, and I noticed him wince, but I also noticed something else.

Something silver.

I stuck my finger deeper into one of the bullet wounds, and my heart dropped when I felt the metal underneath.

I stumbled back into the side of a parked car and slid down to sit on the ground.

"You... you're..." I couldn't even finish my sentence.

He looked down at his feet and nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry I never told you." He said, "I thought you'd think I was crazy. I didn't know who you were…"

My whole world collapsed around me. Jude, my sweet Jude, was one of _them._ It took everything I had to keep the tears in.

"What model are you?" I asked hopelessly, confused, saddened, and not just a little frightened, "I've never seen one like you before."

"Experimental infiltration prototype Model 2000." He answered, "There were two of us made. The other was a guy called Marcus. Nice guy."

"What?" I asked, my teeth clenched, "Explain. Now."

"I was human. I was captured, and augmented with some heavy equipment." He said, "Parts of my skeleton are metal. My chest plate to protect my organs, my skull to protect my brain. My heart, my brain, my lungs, my blood are all human. They put a chip in my brain, and they woke me up. Big mistake. I escaped and surrendered to the resistance. You were there. You took one look at me and left the room, ordering me to be released. You sent me back here with a few others. Callie, Donald and Colleen Jacob, who acted like my mom, dad and sister. Then all the bullshit happened that landed me and Callie in foster care. And now here we are."

"This can't be fucking happening." I exclaimed, overwhelmed by what he was saying, "It SHOULDN'T be fucking happening! Your future shouldn't exist! Mom and I, we destroyed Cyberdyne! We melted the T-1000, the original chip and that fucking arm and the T-800 that was sent back to protect me in a pit of molten steel! NONE of this should be happening! Judgment Day didn't happen!"

"You and your mother changed the future, John..."

I felt a spike of anger as I interrupted him. I leapt to my feet and pointed my finger in his face angrily.

"DON'T CALL ME JOHN!" I shouted at him, snarling, "That is NOT my fucking name. Not anymore! It never will be again! MY NAME IS CONNOR!"

"Fine. Connor then." He continued cautiously, now walking on eggshells, "Like I was saying, you did change it, but not enough. Judgment Day is June 27th, 2020."

I collapsed to my knees, and started crying.

Why was this happening? Why couldn't things just stay the way they were? Things were so nice. I was finally safe, relatively happy with a boyfriend who I loved and who loved me back.

"Connor, don't cry." Jude said, sounding concerned.

He reached out to put his hand on my shoulder, but I slapped it away angrily.

"Don't stand there and act like you care!" I screamed, "You lied to me! You made me think you loved me, when YOU'RE A FUCKING MACHINE! I know how you fucking things work! You act human to get close to your target and then you kill them. Anything to fulfill your FUCKING MISSION!"

Jude recoiled violently, an extremely hurt expression on his face. Seconds later, his eyes darkened and he snarled back at me.

"I AM NOT A FUCKING MACHINE!" He screamed and lunged at me.

He threw me back into the side of the car and got in my face, his fists grabbing a hold of the front of my shirt as he snarled in my face. Immediately, tears started to pour down his face as he ranted.

"I HAVE A HUMAN BRAIN!" He screamed back, "I HAVE A HUMAN HEART! HUMAN ORGANS! I function like a human. I grow. I age. I eat. I sleep. I piss. I shit, and I get sick. I FEEL! I HURT! I am HUMAN! Goddammit, I am FUCKING HUMAN! I don't give a damn what the cursed computer did to me, but I STILL HAVE MY HUMANITY! I didn't even realize who you were, who you REALLY were, until the T-900 said your middle name! And how fucking DARE you insinuate that I was pretending to love you! I took bullets for you! This is why I n-never told you w-what I was. I knew y-you would lose it, I knew I would lose you. I knew you wouldn't l-love me a-anymore! AND I WAS R-RIGHT!"

The last few words came out as a strangled sob, and I immediately felt horrible for saying what I said to him. I felt my anger dissipate. Jude released me, and turned away from me. He only made it a dozen steps away before he fell to his knees and started sobbing. I felt my own tears continue to fall, and I shakily walked to stand beside him. I kneeled next to him, and with a sigh I turned to speak to him.

"You promise it was real?" I asked desperately, putting my arm around him and pulling him into a hug, "All of it? Your feelings? The kisses? It was all real?"

"Of course it was real!" He whimpered, "I promise. I'm sorry I lied to you, but I knew you would hate me…"

"I don't hate you, Judicorn." I said soothingly, "I believe you, I promise. No machine could fake the emotion you just showed. They can't cry, and I couldn't love one the way I love you."

"Promise?" He whimpered.

I leaned in, placing a gentle kiss to his lips.

"I promise." I affirm, "I'm sorry I made you cry, Judicorn. I feel terrible."

"It's okay." He said softly.

"No, it's really not, just… throw me across the room if I do it again, yeah?" I tell him jokingly, earning a wet chuckle.

We stay in our embrace for a few moments before separating and rising to our feet and moving to examine the short circuited Terminator.

"You mentioned that it was a T-900?" I asked confused. "What's that? And why not send another T-1000?"

"Replacement for the T-800." He explained, "It's what Marcus and I were designed to replace. And the T-1000 was a one of a kind prototype. You and your mom destroyed the only working one, and the Resistance destroyed the complex where the designs were kept, so they couldn't make another one."

"What was your mission when you were sent back?" I asked curiously.

"I wasn't given one." He said, "The final battle was already over. We'd won. They just told us to live our lives like we deserved. But now, I'm giving myself my own mission."

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"I'm gonna make sure you stay safe." Jude said, "I'm gonna protect you."

I stared at him, pondering whether or not I was still actually mad at him for lying to me. The way he was staring at me, pleading with me silently for forgiveness, nonverbally begging for me to still love him, giving me a look that held nothing but true honest caring and affection, I couldn't stay mad.

"*Sigh*. Fine. But promise me you won't lie to me again." I said.

"I won't." He said, "Now we need to get moving. That thing isn't gonna stay down for long after I unhook it."

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"We're going to your house to get your dad." He said, "Then we are going to my house to get my family. Then, we are going and getting my dad. He and Callie will be able to help us fight. Then, we are getting the hell out of here. Going someplace safe. Then we'll plan how to stop Judgment Day, since I can already see the gears in your head turning, excuse the pun."

"Are you sure we should go back to our houses?" I asked confusedly, "Isn't that the first place that thing will look when it turns back on?"

"Oh, yeah. I know it will." He said, "But we can't just leave our families to the slaughter can we?"

I nodded in agreement as he moved to unhook the jumper cables from the T-900.

"How long do we have after you unhook it?" I asked.

"Takes about five minutes to reboot." He answered.

We both got in the car, and buckled up as Jude reversed at high speed.

"Where'd you get this car?" I asked him.

"Um… I stole it." He said sheepishly.

"*Sigh*. Of course you did." I said as I face palmed and rolled my eyes, "Try not to get pulled over. I don't really wanna explain to a cop why two teens are driving around in a stolen car. We're gonna have to have your moms or my dad drive when we get to them."

"I know." He said.

I studied his injuries.

"How long will those take to heal?" I asked.

"About an hour." He said, "Advanced healing capabilities. It takes longer depending on how bad the injury is. Like if I lost half the skin on my face, it would take about a day for it to regrow, and another two for it to heal and not look I have third degree burns."

He looked at me.

"It'll be okay, you know?" He said, reaching out and patting me on the shoulder.

"I hope so." I responded.

"I meant what I said back there." He assured me, "I really do love you. I promise you that these feelings aren't fake."

"I believe you, Jude." I said, and I honestly did, although I had every reason not to believe him given that he lied to me about something very important. He lied about what he was. But then again, I lied about WHO I was, so I figure we're even.

"And I still love you too." I said, offering a timid smile, which he returned.

We linked hands.

"We'll be okay." He said, "Our fates are in our hands now."


	2. Off To War

Connor's POV:

Jude and I rode along in silence. Jude had surrendered the gun to me, and I was cleaning it. I took it apart and cleaned the firearm with long practiced precision that came with the years of experience my mother had drilled into my head. Every few seconds, Jude would check the mirrors to make sure we weren't being followed. He looked at me as I quickly assembled the weapon, and cocked it to chamber a round.

"Well, at least now I know why you could put together the gun so quickly when Mom took us to the shooting range." Jude said, a teasing note in his voice, "With a mother like Sarah Connor…"

"Yeah, no kidding right?" I agreed.

"She was legend, ya know?" Jude asked, "In the future. She was almost a divine figure to some people…"

"She would absolutely hate to hear that." I commented truthfully, "So, when exactly are you from?"

"I'm from 2042." Jude answered, "I was sent back to 2004 from July 4th, 2042. The day the war ended. The day we won. The day you won. The Colorado Offensive. You led the attack on the Skynet central core, built into the Cheyenne Mountains. Callie, mom, dad and I were brought along. You and I, along with Sgt. Reese, were on the same chopper. You had me wearing so many layers of Kevlar, I was practically swimming in the stuff. We busted into the time displacement chamber just in time to see a T-800 and a T-1000 go through. Callie, mom and dad were sent back through with me the next day after Sgt. Reese was sent through the time displacement equipment along with an old reprogrammed T-800."

I winced at the mention of my real father.

"Sorry." He quickly apologized.

"It's nothing." I tried to say, but he just gave me a look.

"It's obviously not." He deadpanned, "You winced like you were about to be slapped."

"It's just... Kyle Reese is my real father." I said.

His eyes widened slightly.

"Oh… Should have seen that coming." He said, "Of course they would fall in love. He did carry around an old snapshot of your mom from before the war."

"Yeah… back there, you said you were captured?" I asked.

"I was just a kid." He said, "Too young and stupid to fight back. Got captured poking through the ruins of an old gas station in downtown San Francisco. I don't remember much after that. The next thing I remember clearly was using an old T-600 to smash through the walls of the laboratory I was being built in."

"What was that final battle like?"

Jude kept focused on the road.

"It was war." He said stiffly, "You know what that's like."

"Yeah." I whispered, "I still can't believe this is happening. If Cyberdyne didn't build Skynet, then who did?"

"Nobody knew for sure." Jude answered, "The records were lost as soon as the nukes started hitting."

"Great. So we have no idea where to start?" I asked.

"Not yet."

"Fuck. Could this day get any worse?" I asked.

"Probably, but let's hope not." Jude said.

The rest of the ride was endured in silence, until we pulled up in front of my house. We got out of the car and ran inside. My dad was already waiting for us.

"Connor, thank god!" He exclaimed, rushing to embrace me, "The shooting was on the news. You're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I assure him, "Thanks to Jude."

He turned to look at Jude, his eyes a little less cold than they normally would be.

"What do you mean?" Dad asked.

Jude removed his hoodie, revealing the bullet wounds underneath. Dad's eyes widened.

"Holy fuck, he's been SHOT?" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Jude said.

Dad stared at him like he was nuts.

"You'll be FINE?" He blustered incredulously, "You've been SHOT, kid!"

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that." Jude said irritably.

"Dad, now is not the time. We need to get out of here." I cut in, "Do you remember the stuff mom used to talk about. All of those weird dreams she would have about the world ending? Robots hunting humans down?"

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"Well... uh. Those weren't dreams." I said cautiously.

"Excuse me?" He said sounding skeptical, "What do you mean they weren't dreams?"

"They were real, Mr. Stevens." Jude said.

"Bullshit." Dad scoffed.

"Told you it wouldn't be that easy. Show him Jude." I said.

Jude removed his shirt. My dad's eyes widened at the sight of the metal glinting from the wounds. He stumbled backwards into the wall and pointed his finger shakily at Jude.

"You mean...? He's... and they...? WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?" Dad exclaimed.

"DAD!" I shouted, "We need to go! We need to go get Jude's family, and get out of San Diego. This house and Jude's house are the first place it'll look!"

"It?" Dad asked testily.

"Terminator. We've got one. It's after Connor." Jude explained, "It's trying to kill him, and this place and my family's house will be the first place it'll look, so we need to go. Now."

Dad just kept staring at us in disbelief.

"DAD!"

"Fine, but this discussion isn't over."

"Get your guns." I told him, "We will need them."

Dad nodded, looking overwhelmed and hurried up the stairs.

"Well, he took that better than expected." I said with a sigh.

Five minutes later, we were back on the road, this time in my dad's SUV.

"Dad, try not to get us pulled over." I said, as I noticed that he was going fifteen miles an hour over the speed limit. He slowed down a little bit before he started talking.

"So, let me get this straight." Dad said, "Jude is a robot?"

"No. Not exactly." Jude corrected, "I'm still human, I've just... got spare parts, I guess? Simplest way to put it."

"Ha… This is insane." Dad breathed

"Welcome to my early childhood." I deadpanned, "I've already dealt with this once before. One of them came after me when I was ten. Hell, one tried to kill mom before I was born. I've been running from these things for my whole life."

"Jesus Christ." Dad whispered.

"I'm sorry, Dad." I couldn't help but say, "I thought this was over. It was supposed to be over. Mom and I… we thought we had stopped it, made sure it wouldn't happen again. The things we had to do…"

"Like what?" Dad asked.

"Well… remember a few years ago in Los Angeles there was a big explosion that took out Cyberdyne System's headquarters?" Jude asked.

"Yeah."

"That was us." I revealed, "Cyberdyne was the company that developed Skynet, the AI that destroys the world and makes these damned robots."

Dad huffed a laugh, which was colored by a note of near hysterical panic.

"So you and your mother…" Dad began.

"And a robot." Jude added.

"… And a robot, committed an act of domestic terrorism that leveled a nine story research lab?" Dad asked, "To stop a computer system from destroying the world."

"Um… it sounds really bad when you put it that way, but yeah. We did." I said uncomfortably.

"In his defense, they didn't kill anybody." Jude added, not caring for my Dad's growing discomfort, "It was the idiot S.W.A.T team that went in after them that got too trigger happy that ended up killing somebody."

"Can we stop talking about this?" I asked, "These are memories I'd rather forget."

"Sorry." Jude said.

"I'm sorry, Dad." I said again.

"Stop apologizing." Dad said gruffly, "It's not your damned fault. It's some tin can with a grudge's fault."

We arrived at Jude's house and Callie was outside on the porch waiting. As soon as Jude got out of the SUV, he was tackled in an embrace as Callie started fussing over him. It briefly registered that he still wasn't wearing a shirt before I tuned in on their conversation.

"What happened?" She asked, "How did you get... hurt?"

"It was one of them, Callie." He said, "He tried to kill Connor. I couldn't let that happen."

Callie whirled around and focused her gaze on me. She looked pissed.

"Oh, of course!" Callie screamed, "So this is all your fault then!"

"WHAT?" I shouted back indignantly, "How is it my fault?"

"If it wasn't for you, Jude wouldn't have been hurt!" Callie snarled venomously.

"Yeah, because I fucking asked to be shot at?" I whispered coldly, "How dare you?!"

She stared at me incredulously and tried to charge at me, but Jude grabbed hold of her hand.

"How dare I? Every time you two are together, you end up hurting him." She snarled, "First by playing with his feelings with that girl Daria, nearly getting him shot when you convinced him to sneak out that night, then forcing him to label himself! You're a menace!"

"CALLIE!" Jude shouted angrily, but Callie plowed on with her diatribe.

"I've met people like you before." She continued, "People like you only bring pain and misery to others! You're nothing but TROUBLE!"

"You dare presume to think you know a single thing about me, Callie Jacob?" I said, voice as chilling as ice, "I can guarantee you, that you don't know anything about me. You know nothing about how I think. You know nothing!"

"Oh really? Enlighten me then." She snarled back, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't take you down and slam your smug little face into the ground?"

"CALLIE!" Jude shouted dangerously, while I started laughing.

"Oh please." I scoffed, "A skinny teenage girl with an attitude problem? Believe me, I've faced far scarier than you."

"I could make your future miserable, you fucking punk." She hissed.

I smirked. As soon as she said the word 'future', I knew I could play my trump card.

"You could try, but I doubt you could do anything to my future, at least by yourself," I said with a smirk, "But then again, maybe you could. After all… there is no fate but what we make."

Callie's eyes widened comically and she recoiled like she had been physically struck and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Yeah… you weren't expecting THAT were you?" I asked.

"Where did you hear that?" She asked shakily.

"Why should I tell you?" I asked back.

"Who are you?" She asked cautiously.

'Why should I tell you that?" I asked scathingly, "After you dare threaten me? I know who you really are. I know what Jude is, and where and when you're really from. I know that the person who tried to kill me is a Terminator, Series 900 infiltration unit built by Skynet."

"Who are you?" She barked.

"You don't trust me. Give me a reason to tell you."

"Give me a reason to trust you." She barked back.

"How about my real name?" I offered with a predatory grin on my face.

Jude couldn't stop the memory that the grin triggered.

**Flashback: Jude's POV:**

_The landscape was desolate, and loud. The sounds of machines rippled across the area, and the noise was soon joined by the distinct whirring of the rotating propeller blades of the fleet of V-TOL helicopters, and the roar of the engines of troop carriers as they began converging on the mountain complex._

_"Skynet's communication's array has been disabled, General Connor. They can't call for reinforcements. The mission is a go." A voice said over the secure radio network._

_Sat in the co-pilots chair of the lead V-TOL, General John Connor grinned, and it was a sight that would chill an enemy to the bone. The grin that stretched across his scarred face could only be described as predatory._

_"I copy you. All forces, this is General Connor. Engage. I authenticate, code: Alpha Bravo 59265."_

_"We read you loud and clear John."_

_He turned to me and Kyle._

_"You ready for this?" He asked._

_"Born ready." Reese responded._

_"Would you think badly about me if I threw up?" I asked._

_I must have looked ridiculous. I was a little kid, sat aboard a V-TOL, practically swimming in layer upon layer of Kevlar. Despite the augmentations and the boosted intelligence that a couple of the additions supplied, I still had the body of a child._

_John and Kyle chuckled, and John ruffled my hair. John turned back to face forward._

_"Marauder Squadron. Demolish the wall and then clear the path of any Aerial Hunter Killers that may hinder our progress." John ordered, "Alpha Company. Be ready to invade as soon as the walls are down. We will be facing heavy resistance. "_

_A force of ten F14 jets descended from the sky and launched their payloads at the walls that surrounded the complex. We all laughed in triumph as they crumbled._

_"Now Jude, you stay close to me okay?" John said, "You really shouldn't even be here. Even with the enhancements you're still just a little kid."_

_"I know." I said._

_"If all goes well today, then you'll be safe by tomorrow." John continued, "As soon as we take control of the time displacement chamber, I'm gonna send you back with a couple of others. You'll be able to live without having to worry about the damned machines."_

_"Thank you, sir." I said simply._

_He nodded at me before turning back to stare straight ahead._

_"I've been waiting for this day since I was a child." John whispered._

**End Flashback.**

Jude shook himself from his flashback as Callie gaped at Connor.

"What?" She said, confused.

"My name isn't Connor JOHN Stevens." I said, "That's an alias. My real name... well, I haven't used it in years. I don't even respond to it anymore."

"You think THAT is going to make me trust you?" She scoffed, "Telling me that you aren't who you say you are? Who are you?"

I smiled at her.

"My name." I said, "My true name is one I haven't used in four years. I changed my name to Connor when my mother Sarah married Adam. It's not that hard to figure out my real name. All you gotta do is delete the last name and flip flop the rest."

She stared at me, and I could see the pieces forming the full picture in her mind. Maybe ten seconds later, her eyes widened further and her jaw dropped.

"You… you're…?"

I nodded.

"My real name was John Connor."

She gaped at me, her mouth opened and her eyes wide with disbelief. She stared between me and Jude a couple of times.

"Stand at attention, soldier." I barked jokingly.

I didn't actually expect her to do it, but she did just that.

"General Connor." She said, "I'm sorry..."

I waved off her apology with a tight smile.

"At ease, Callie. I was just joking about standing at attention." I said, "And don't salute me. I'm not a general yet."

She relaxed, and so did Jude. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that my Dad was glaring holes in the side of Callie's head.

"I'm so sorry, I really shouldn't have said any of that..."

"It's fine." I assured, "Emotions are running high today. For all of us. I swear, I didn't mean for Jude to get hit. He just reacted. The T-900 drew the gun, and Jude threw me onto the floor and told me to run. He jumped in front of me and took three to the chest and told me to run. I ended up getting cornered and Jude ran the thing over with a car he'd stolen. Did you know that if you hook an active car battery up to a T-900 you can short circuit it and force a shutdown?"

She shook her head before taking a step closer.

"Are you sure you're okay, John?" She asked.

"Don't call me John." I said coldly, "I don't even want that name spoken in my presence. My name is Connor. It's the name I chose after mom and I destroyed Cyberdyne."

"Okay. Sorry. Wait, Cyberdyne? That was you?" She asked.

"Me, my mom and a reprogrammed T-800, but that's a long story that I don't want to repeat." I said quickly, "So drop it, yeah?"

"We need to get inside." Jude stated, "Get out of the open."

We all retreated into the house to discuss things. Callie went out into the garage and returned with a pair of needle nosed pliers and a first aid kit. She sat Jude down on the couch and started removing the bullets. He winced every time the pliers made contact. As she pulled the first bullet out, Jude whimpered. I sat down next to him and put an arm around him in comfort.

"Does it hurt much?" I asked softly.

"It'll only last a minute." Jude said quietly as Callie stitched and bandaged the wounds.

"So, you said you know then? About Jude's... condition."

"You mean the fact that he's got a metal coating over half his skeleton and enhancements?" I asked, "Yeah. Had a small melt down about that already. It's okay now."

"What the hell is going on here?"

We all turned to see Stef, Lena, Brandon, Mariana, Jesus, Mike, AJ, and standing there. I briefly wondered why Jesus was here, when he was supposed to be at boarding school, but I remembered Jude saying that Jesus came home because some of his wrestling team were threatening him into taking steroids. Everybody looked incredibly relieved to see that both Jude and I were alive.

"Jude? What happened?" Lena said, rushing forward, "We've been looking everywhere for you two since the shooting! And... Oh my god, you've been shot?!"

"Momma. It's okay." Jude assured her, wincing as Callie pulled another bullet out, "I'll be fine."

"THE HELL YOU ARE!" She said frantically, "You've been SHOT, Jude."

"Momma, look closely at the wounds." Jude said.

She did, and she did a double take.

"What's..." She mumbled to herself as she examined them closer, "Stef take a look at this."

Stef moved to sit beside Jude.

"Is that... metal?" She asked.

Jude looked down at his feet.

"We've got a lot of explaining to do." He said.

We gave them the quick version. We told them what was going on, that we were all in danger and we needed to leave as soon as we came up with a plan. AJ, Mike, Jesus and Brandon were all skeptical, but believed us when they felt the exposed metal under Jude's wounds.

"So what are we going to do?" Callie asked, "Donald is out of state. He won't be of any help. We can't go to the police. We'd end up in a mental institution and the government would probably take Jude and experiment on him."

"One good thing about my mom, was that she always planned ahead." I said, "About a hundred miles out in the desert, there was a weapons cache that my mom and her old friend Enrique put together, and as far as I know, it's still there. The last time I was there was before we went after Cyberdyne. I didn't do much. Helped move stuff, loaded some of them, and tried to explain why humans cried to a Terminator."

Callie snorted.

"How'd that go for you?"

I stared off into the distance, remembering the T-800's words.

**_"I order you not to go!" I sobbed, my fingers clinging to the leather jacket._ **

**_"I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do."_ **

"It learned why." I said simply.

Callie gave me a weird look and raised her eyebrow in inquiry.

"I know now why you cry." I recited from memory, "But it is something that I could never do."

I turned to face Callie.

"That's what it said to me, right before we lowered it into a vat of molten steel." I said, "A machine, learned the value of human life. I always thought, if that was possible, then maybe there is hope for the rest of us."

I was interrupted from my musing when we all heard a really loud rumbling sound coming from outside, and I vaguely recognized it as a motorcycle.

Beside me, Jude tensed.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Something is here."

"What is it?" I asked.

Jude suddenly sat ramrod straight and stood, and I looked at his eyes and noticed that there was a blue glow behind them.

"Fuck. We're out of time!" I shouted, "We need to leave. NOW!"

"Connor it's not the T-900." Jude said.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Whatever it is, it's too big to be T-900." Jude said, "It sounds more like…"

Before Jude could finish his sentence, the front door flew off its hinges. I pulled the gun out of the waistband of my shorts and aimed it towards the hall. I vaguely registered that Stef had done the same thing.

I heard heavy footfalls heading toward us.

Then the figure came into view. However, it wasn't the one I was expecting. It was tall. It was bulky, and it was carrying a lever action shotgun. It was clad entirely in black leather, and I had definitely seen it before.

I gasped and collapsed backward into the counter, as I stood face to face with my childhood protector.

"… It sounds more like a T-800." Jude finished lamely, "Okay… I wasn't expecting this."

"Is it on our side?" Callie asked nervously, moving to stand behind Jude slightly.

"Doesn't matter if it is or not." Jude commented warily, "If it isn't I can take it apart with my hands behind my back."

"Holy shit." I said breathlessly, "It's you. But... how...?"

"John Connor." The accented voice of the machine spoke. It was the same monotonous Austrian accent I remembered from my childhood. It was wearing black sunglasses, black boots, black leather pants, and a black leather jacket over a black t-shirt. It looked exactly like the one that had protected me as a child. Of course, I knew it could not be the same one.

The T-800 took a step closer, but Jude moved to stand in front of me.

"Don't take another step closer." Jude said.

The T-800 obeyed, which I took as a good sign.

"Who sent you?" I asked.

"I was sent through the time displacement field by General John Connor and his spouse, Jude Stevens." It answered monotonously.

I looked at Jude out of the corner of my eyes when the T-800 said the word spouse and noticed that he was blushing, and I couldn't suppress the feeling of satisfaction I felt with the knowledge that Jude would one day be my spouse and share my last name.

"How are you here?" I asked.

"The timeline has been altered again." The machine answered.

"How?" Jude asked.

"In the timeline you came from," The machine continued, "You didn't meet John Connor until he was an adult, after you succeeded in escaping Skynet captivity post augmentation. When he sent you back to this time, it was not expected that you two would ever meet. In this timeline, you two meet as adolescents and cultivate a romantic relationship. This unexpected consequence altered the timeline."

"What is your mission?" Jude asked.

It stared at us.

"I was sent back to 2014 to insure the survival of Callie Jacob, Donald Jacob, Adam Stevens, Stephanie Adams Foster, Lena Adams Foster, Jesus Adams Foster, Mariana Adams Foster, Brandon Foster, and Mike Foster." The machine said.

"What about me?" I asked, "Why aren't you here to protect me?"

"The T-900 is most likely to pursue you." It said, "I am an obsolete model. I wouldn't be of any use in your protection. The T-2000 is far more advanced than me and the T-900 combined. He will protect you."

"My name isn't T-2000. It's Jude, you walking tank." Jude quipped scathingly.

"Reclassification completed. Jude is far more advanced than me and..." It said, starting to repeat itself.

"Yeah, yeah, we get the point." I said irritably.

Next to me, Jude tensed once again. His eye glowed blue for a second before returning to their original brown. He pointed at his family.

"GO WITH HIM!" He said, turning back to the T-800, "You protect them with everything you've got."

"Affirmative."

Jude turned to me.

"It's here."

"SHIT. Everybody out the back door quickly!" I ordered, turning back to the T-800, "Keep them safe."

Everybody ran for their lives, followed by the T-800. Dad doubled back, pulling a card from his wallet and handing it to me. It was his spare ATM card.

"Keep it just in case. The pin number is 1997." He said, giving me a kiss on the head before turning to Jude, "Keep him safe."

"I promise." Jude said.

Dad nodded and bolted out the back door after the rest of the family.

I turned back to Jude.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Let me handle this." He said, "Get to the car."

We both ran from the house, to find the T-900 marching towards the front door. Jude launched forward and grabbed it around the midsection, lifted it and threw it into the ground, causing a small crater to form. It threw a punch directly into Jude's face sending him staggering back. It pulled a gun from its pocket and turned to me. Jude leapt in front of me as it fired.

I knew it didn't really hurt him, but it still nearly made me cry knowing that Jude was getting shot.

"RUN FOR THE CAR!" He said through clenched teeth, shoving me towards the car.

He turned back to the T-900.

"You want a piece of me, you worthless pile of scrap!?" He snarled and charged the T-900 as I ran for the car.

Again, he caught it around the middle, sending it hurtling through the front wall of the house. The front wall of the house caved in from the force of the impact. Jude stalked forward, following his prey.

I reached the car and got in and waited. I sneaked peaks at the house every few seconds, waiting to see who emerged. I knew that it was extremely unlikely that Jude would lose, but I still prepared myself to bolt for it if the worst did come to pass. Every few seconds, a loud bang would sound from inside the house. I would hate to see what the inside looked like. Five minutes elapsed, and more gunshots sounded from inside the house. I heard an almighty bang, the sound of something huge being dropped. I sunk into the seat and waited. When Jude came out of the house, he was running. He got in the driver side and started the car, reversing from the driveway at a high speed. I got a good look at him, and was horrified to see that the covering over his left eye was gone, revealing a bright blue mechanical eye.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, "Oh my god, your eye..."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, "I just need a pair of sunglasses until the skin and covering grow back."

"How long?"

"Few days at the most." He said, "Check in the glove box for a pair of sunglasses. You okay?"

"Yeah." I said, shaken, reaching into the glove box and pulling out a pair of sunglasses and hanging them to Jude, who put them on immediately, "It's... just a little scary seeing you... like this."

"Sorry." He said sadly.

"No, don't be." I said, "It's not like you can help it."

He offered me a small smile.

"What was that huge bang, by the way?" I asked.

"Oh. I dropped the grand piano on it." Jude said sheepishly, "It weighs a ton, so I figured it would slow it down at the very least."

"Sounds legit." I said.

"Where is this weapons cache you mentioned?" He asked.

"It's about a hundred miles out in the Mojave desert." I said, "My mom's old friend Enrique used to live there with his family, but they took off right after we did."

"What kind of guns are there?" Jude asked.

"AK-47's. AR-15's. RPG's, grenades, a belt fed machine gun, a China Lake." I listed off, "That's all I can remember off the top of my head. It has been four years since I was there last. For all I know, somebody might have found it and looted it."

"Let's hope not." He said tensely.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I just... hope the family will be okay." He said, his voice thick with worry.

"They will be." I assured, "You remember what the T-800 said. The T-900 will focus on us. I'm the primary target, not our family. They'll be fine. Trust me."

We drove in silence, Jude driving very carefully so we didn't get pulled over. After about an hour of driving, Jude broke the silence.

"When we get there," He said, "We'll load up with as much ammo as we can fit in the car and as many guns. Especially the RPG's. I do remember you saying once that T-900's are more susceptible to explosives than the T-800's because they're more light weight."

"Sounds like a plan."

"In fact, we should probably pack all the explosives." He added, "I don't want to leave any for it to use against us later. I may be nearly impervious to gunfire, but I cannot survive a hit from an RPG, or a direct hit from a grenade."

I winced.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." I said, exhaling a slow breath, "We should probably hit an ATM like dad suggested too. Get as much cash as we can for food and stuff. We won't be able to fight that thing if we're starving to death or dying of thirst, ya know?"

"Yeah, good point." He agreed, "How much does your dad have in his account?"

"Well, he makes a lot of money as a commercial real estate agent." I said, "So, probably quite a bit."

"Okay, good." Jude said, breathing easier, "This is good. We've got a plan started. We're on the move. So far so good."

I nodded in agreement, but in the back of my mind, a small voice was nagging me not to get to confident. Telling me that even the smallest hiccough in the plan could result in my death or Jude's.

The voice was right, of course.

It was just Jude and I. We had to be careful. We could not afford any mistakes. Mistakes meant danger, and danger meant death.

We were on our own. We were being hunted. Our families were on the run being protected by an obsolete T-800 armed with a shotgun.

We were two boys marching off to war.

 

 


	3. Battle Of The Desert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the likely butchered Spanish. I used Google translator. The Google translation in English will be in parentheses next to the Spanish text.

**Flashback Dream, Jude's POV:**

_The core was destroyed. Skynet was no more, and the war was finally over. John however still seemed to move with the same sense of urgency he had all day. He led us across the complex towards a hangar. Around us, I could see inactive endoskeletons standing around. We all entered the hangar, and I was still covered in layers upon layers of Kevlar. A group of soldiers was opening a hatch. John and Reese approached the hatch and stared down into the shadows. In the center of the chamber sat a massive device. John looked, or well… more like glared at the machine, while Reese looked simply confused._

_"What the hell is that thing?" Reese asked._

_"That, Kyle, is Fate." John answered simply, lighting a flare and dropping it through the hatch, "That is the first tactical time weapon, and Skynet's just used it twice."_

_"Time weapon?" I questioned._

_"A time machine." John simplified, "The first of its kind. The last of its kind if I have anything to say about it."_

_"A time machine?" Kyle asked skeptically, "You can't be serious."_

_"Oh, I'm dead serious." John deadpanned, "We need to get down there."_

_We all made our way down into the chamber, and the technicians got the power working again after only twenty minutes. The set to work turning the machine back on, and getting the systems online again._

_"The machine is back online, General Connor." The lead technician said, "We should have the coordinates for the time jumps momentarily."_

_"Los Angeles, 2000 for the first one. Los Angeles, 2010 for the second jump." John said, sounding almost nonchalant._

_"Los Angeles, May 12th 2000 and July 21st 2010." The technician said, looking at John with wide eyes._

_John just smiled at the man._

_"Cat got your tongue, Donald?" John asked the man, "You can pick your jaw up off the floor."_

_"Sir… how did you know that?" Donald asked._

_I looked around to see that everybody in the chamber was now staring at John._

_"Skynet… it knew it was losing." John said, "It knew tonight would be its last, so it played its final and most desperate card. It sent two of its machines back in time to the time before the war."_

_"What were the targets, sir?" I asked curiously._

_"The first target is my mother." John said, and I noticed Kyle stiffen slightly at this pronouncement, "The legend, Sarah Connor herself. They sent back a T-800 to kill her. The second target is a ten year old me. They brought out the big guns for that. They sent a T-1000 after my younger self. If either of those bastards succeed, tonight will never have happened. Our victory, and every past victory will never have happened. If the first succeeds, I will never have existed. If the second succeeds, I will never grow up to lead the Resistance. The Resistance itself will never exist. Every sacrifice we've made, every family member lost, will all have been for nothing."_

_"Fuck." A soldier swore, "We have to use the machine."_

_"We could send some of our own people back." Donald agreed, "That way they'd stand a fighting chance."_

_"Oh, I already planned on sending people back." John said as he looked over at me pointedly, "There are children who deserve to see the world as it was before."_

_My eyes widened, because I knew exactly what he meant. He was saying he was going to send me back._

_"I volunteer to go." Kyle said immediately, "I'll protect Sarah Connor with my life, John."_

_"I know you will." John agreed, "You're the best soldier I've got, Kyle. I wouldn't trust anybody else with this mission."_

_"Who will go back to protect you?" I asked._

_John smirked, and pointed to a hulking figure standing silent in the corner of the room._

_"He will." John said._

_I looked at the figure, and I automatically scanned the figure as had become a habit of mine. It had taken everybody a bit of time to get used to my eyes lighting up an electric blue, but now it no longer raised an issue. I frowned slightly._

_"It's a T-800." I said._

_"Yep." John said._

_"Against a T-1000?" Kyle asked nervously._

_"It's the best chance we've got." John said, "The T-1000 is one of a kind. They only made one before we blew the factory and hacked the systems to delete the blueprints. It is the most advanced thing Skynet ever built. There is literally nothing we can send back better than this. A human would be cut to bits by a T-1000. At least a T-800 has a fighting chance."_

_We all nodded in agreement, and they all set about preparing to send Reese back. I wandered around a bit before returning to John's side, and Kyle was in the midst of assaulting him with questions._

_"How did you know though, John?" Kyle questioned, "You knew this thing would be here. You knew Skynet would fall tonight."_

_"Foresight is a wonderful thing." John said with a small smile, "Think of it like cheating on a test, but on a much more… cosmic scale."_

_"Huh?" Kyle asked._

_"My mother, Kyle." John continued, "She told me a lot. She knew so much, and she taught me everything I know. She left me clues, signposts to the future, if you will. I remember when I was a kid it seemed like she was all powerful, like she knew everything."_

_"Must have been nice, huh?" Kyle asked._

_"Eh, sometimes. It helped when I got myself into trouble." John said with a small smile, "Most of the time it was a real pain in the ass, though."_

_Ten minutes later, we all stood around the platform as Kyle took his place._

_"Good luck, Kyle." John said softly._

_Kyle nodded, and five minutes later, he disappeared in a flurry of sparks and energy. Fifteen minutes later the T-800 did the same. John turned to Donald and gestured for him to step closer._

_"You have a family, yes?" John asked._

_"Yes, general." Donald confirmed, "My wife and our daughter, Callie."_

_John nodded, before his eyes drifted over to meet mine._

_"I'm sending Jude, here, back in time." John finally said, "He deserves to see the world as it was meant to be. Live his life as it was meant to be lived. He cannot do that alone. It is my understanding that you have all taken quite a liking to Jude. Your daughter treats him like a brother, and you all treat him like a son…"_

_"Sir?" Donald questioned._

_"I want you and your family to go with him." John clarified._

_Donald looked thunderstruck._

_"Sir… Are you being serious?" Donald's eyes were wide and were filling with tears._

_"Donald, you and I both know what it was like before the war." John interrupted, "Sending a child back alone, even one as special as Jude, is unwise. Your family deserves this second chance."_

_Donald leapt forward and hugged John tightly._

_"T-Thank you, General." He whispered, "When do we leave?"_

_"Tomorrow at noon." John said, "Some people are being sent through first to set things up for you on the other side. New identities and such. But for now… We celebrate."_

_The celebration lasted well into the night, the power dimming slightly as the time machine was used to send somebody back. All too soon, we were stepping up to the platform. I turned to John._

_"Sir?" I asked._

_"What is it, Jude?" John asked gently, sensing my nervousness._

_"Do… Do I have a mission?" I asked meekly, "For when we all get there?"_

_John stared at me._

_"Yeah…" John said quietly._

_I stepped towards him closer._

_"What is it?" I asked._

_John looked me in the eyes and reached out to me. He pulled me into a hug, and rested his chin on my head for a moment._

_"…Enjoy your life." John whispered, "That's your mission. Grow up. Fall in love. Get married. Be happy."_

_I nodded fiercely as I pulled away from him._

_"You ready?" John asked._

_I looked once more at the machine, and turned back to John._

_"I'm ready."_

_I stood on the platform with Donald, Callie, and Colleen. They activated the machine, and for a few moments everything was white._

_When we all stood up again, we stared off into the distance._

_On the horizon stretched a glittering city. The lights stretched for miles, and the headlights of the cars on the freeways seemed to form one continuous line for many more miles. The sun was setting, and the sky had turned from its daytime blue to a deep orange. I exhaled. Nobody spoke a word. It was me who eventually broke the silence, vocalizing the thought that we all shared._

_"That's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."_

**Flashback Dream End.**

Connor's POV.

Jude jolted awake with a start, and looked around.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. How much further is it?" Jude asked.

"Not much further." I answered, grabbing the pistol off the dashboard.

I tensed.

"Why are you grabbing that?" He asked.

"Just in case something is waiting for us." I said, "I don't know for sure, but Enrique might have come back here. He's kind of jumpy about people snooping and it's been four years since I seen him last. He may not recognize me. Hell, he'd probably point a gun at me anyway, he did last time."

We drove down the old dirt road for about ten minutes before coming to a slow stop. We both got out of the car and took a few steps forward.

"Hasn't changed a bit." I said, "Exactly the same as it was the last time I was here."

I heard a twig snap. My childhood training kicked in and I whirled about, the gun extended towards the sound.

In a flurry of déjà vu, Enrique popped up from behind the side of the old bus, pointing a shotgun directly at us.

Jude immediately dove in front of me.

"Put the gun down!" Jude screamed.

"¡Cállate, so puta! (Shut up, you bitch!)" Enrique screamed back.

"Cállate, Enrique! (SHUT UP, ENRIQUE!)" I shouted, "Estamos aquí para las pistolas! (We're here for the guns!)"

"¿Quién coño eres tú? (Who the fuck are you?)" He shouted at us.

"Mi nombre era John Connor. ¿Te acuerdas de mí, Enrique? (My name was John Connor. Do you remember me, Enrique?)" I shouted back.

"How do I know it is you?" He shouted at us, switching to accented English..

"The last time I was here was four years ago." I answered, "Me, my mom, Sarah Connor, and a big guy in black leather who had an Austrian accent. We took a shit load of guns and told you and your family to clear out that night."

Enrique dropped the shotgun he was holding immediately.

"Well, I'll be fucked! Little John all grown up!" He shouted exuberantly, stepping out from behind the bus.

"Not yet." I said, a smile overtaking my face as I embraced him, "It's good to see you old friend."

"And you, little man." He said, "My condolences about your mother. I was devastated when I heard. She was a good woman."

"Thanks." I said, "She died peacefully in the end. In her sleep, just like she always wanted."

"That is good to hear." He said, before turning to Jude, "Tell me, John? Who's the runt?"

Jude growled.

"Who are you calling a runt?" He snarled, removing his sunglasses to display his mechanical eye.

Enrique's eyes widened and he took a couple of steps back.

"Dios Mio." He said, "He's one of them?"

"Kind of." I said, rubbing my temples, trying to massage away the headache that was starting to form, "He's still human. He's just got some... upgrades."

"What kind of upgrades?"

"Mechanical eyes." Jude said, starting to list them off, "Metal armor coating over my most of my bones. Chip interface. Advanced healing capabilities. Heightened reflexes, strength and senses..."

"Okay, I get the point." Enrique said, "You just can't seem to stay out of trouble, can you John?"

"My name is Connor now." I said, this time without the coldness that had filled my voice the last few times I'd had to make the correction, "I haven't gone by John in a long time. I changed my name. Mom remarried. We both took my step dad's last name."

"What is it now?" Enrique asked.

"Connor John Stevens." I said.

"Gotcha." He said, "I will remember."

"Thanks, Enrique. So do you still have the guns?" I asked.

"Of course I do." He replied simply.

"We need them." I said, "All the explosives need to be disposed of. The C4, the dynamite, the grenades…"

"Did that years ago." He interrupted, "All I have left explosive wise is the China Lakes and a pair of RPGs with ten rockets."

"Good, we'll need those." I said, "You should probably clear out soon, too. This'll be a war zone in less than a half hour."

"You don't have to tell me twice." He said, before turning to Jude, "Take care of him."

"He's my boyfriend. I plan to." Jude said simply.

Enrique looked between us.

"Wait, boyfriend?" Enrique questioned confused, "You're gay, Connor?"

"Yes, Enrique. I'm gay." I growled in irritation, "Is there a problem with that?"

"No. Of course there isn't." Enrique quickly assured, "It is just surprising. Equally surprising that you have a boyfriend who is half machine. Only you my friend."

He chuckled and hugged me one last time.

"Stay safe." He said before running for his truck. Jude and I stood and watched as he disappeared into the distance. I turned back to Jude and sighed. I led him over to where the hatch for the cache bunker was, and together we gained entrance. We collected a few weapons. I picked up a 44. Magnum Revolver and a China Lake, as well as the RPG. We also picked up a first aid box, just in case we needed it.

"So what's the plan?" I asked him as I loaded an RPG.

"It will come here." Jude said, "One thing about T-900's, they're not strong enough to withstand a direct hit from an RPG or a Bazooka. If we can hit it with an RPG, or a rocket, we could blow the damned thing up."

"What about the China Lake?" I asked.

"Not a powerful enough explosion." He said, "We're gonna take up positions behind the bus and the old truck, and when it gets here, we'll ambush it."

I nodded in agreement. We grabbed our weapons, took our places, and waited.

Jude turned to me curiously as we waited.

"Hey… if you grew up around guns, why did you react so badly at the shooting range after the Incident?" Jude asked curiously, referring to my breakdown after Stef took Jude and me shooting.

"I'd been shot at before." I explained, "That was the first time I'd ever actually BEEN shot, you know? Bound to have a stronger reaction."

The subject was laid to rest, and we only had to wait for a further twenty minutes. A cop car rolled up, and slid to a stop. The T-900 exited the car and surveyed its surroundings. It took a few steps out into the open.

"NOW CONNOR!" Jude screamed.

I rose from my spot and fired the RPG at it. It sidestepped it and advanced towards me.

"Dammit." I swore.

It looked straight at me.

It threw something at me, and I didn't notice what it was until it landed on the ground near me.

It was a grenade.

"FUCK!" I screamed as I dove into cover. The explosion was deafening, and it left my ears ringing. I stood up and readied the China Lake that I had slung over my shoulder.

"DIE YOU GODDAMMED SON OF A BITCH!" I snarled as I shot at it with the China Lake.

It raised its arm and blocked the incoming shot. It knocked it back a few feet, and when the fire from the explosion cleared, I could see that the skin on its arm had been burned away. As it came closer to me, Jude charged at it, but it saw him and dodged him. Jude was unable to stop himself, and smashed into the side of the bus. It raised its arm, and swiped at my head. I was unable to dodge in time, and I screamed in pain as its claws left deep gouges on the left side of my face. I tumbled back several feet and fell to the ground, clutching my face as it burned in agony. I looked up at it to see it pointing the pistol at me.

"CONNOR!" Jude screamed.

I rolled to the side as the pistol fired, missing my head by barely a centimeter. With the last bullet fired, it discarded the gun and advanced on me. I quickly got to my feet, pulling the 44. Magnum from my waistband and aimed it at its head and fired. Its head lurched back at the impact, and it stumbled back. I fired again and again, until all six bullets in the cylinder were spent. Before it could recover, Jude appeared behind it and grabbed it by the back of the neck. In his rage, he lifted it off the ground and slammed it back down, repeatedly slamming its head into the ground, making a small crater and removing some of the skin from its face.

While Jude was occupied, I ran for the RPG we had hidden behind the truck. I loaded it and pointed it back at where Jude was demolishing the T-900. I briefly noticed, amusedly, that Jude had removed its arm in his fury, before screaming out to him.

"JUDE! GET CLEAR OF IT!" I screamed.

Jude looked up and saw me pointing the RPG, he jumped off of it and ran like the hounds of hell were on his heels. I pulled the trigger, and watched as the rocket-propelled grenade flew at the downed machine.

The T-900 was blasted apart. Its head landed at my feet. I stared at it for a second before collapsing to the ground. I stared at it, and its red eyes stared back at me menacingly. As I picked it up, it's mechanical jaw chomped and I had to adjust my grip to avoid losing a finger. It was still trying to cause as much damage to me as it could in its dismembered state.

"We got you, you son of a bitch." I said, panting from the pain in my face, "You never learn do you? How many times, have you bastards tried this and failed?"

It offered no answer.

"You'll never win, you know that?" I told it, "Your kind tried to kill my mom before I was even born. You killed my real father as he protected her. You killed my foster parents, Todd and Janelle. You've tried to kill me directly twice, and failed both times. You hurt my boyfriend. Well, no more. I won't die. I won't stop, until I make sure that Skynet and all of its mechanical slaves are driven into the ground."

I removed the cap in the skull guarding the CPU port.

"Jude, is there a pair of needle nose pliers in that toolbox over there?" I asked.

Moments later, he returned and handed me the requested pair of needle nosed pliers and I clamped them onto the CPU. I stared into the red eyes.

"My name is John Connor." I said to the head, "Consider this my declaration of war."

I yanked the CPU out of the skull, and the eyes immediately went black.

I stared at the skull for a second. Then I dropped the CPU on the ground. I pulled out a few spare bullets and loaded it into the 44. Magnum. I took aim and shot the CPU. I exhaled a shuddering breath, only jumping slightly when I felt a hand on my right shoulder. I knew it was only Jude.

"You okay?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. We stood in silence for a few moments, trying to catch our breaths.

"That's the first time in four years." I said.

"What is?" He asked.

I turned to him.

"That's the first time in four years I've referred to myself as John Connor." I said.

His one eye widened at the sight of the gashes.

"The scars..." He said, reaching up to trace them with his fingers.

"What about it?" I asked, wincing slightly at the touch.

"You have them in the future." He explained, "The same exact ones. Same shape and everything."

"Can you get the bandages and rubbing alcohol from the kit?" I asked, "I don't want this getting infected."

Jude did as I asked, and we sat down on the hood of the car. He poured a small amount of the rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball and started dabbing it on the cuts. I hissed at the intense stinging, and my eyes watered. After a few minutes, he placed the bandages over the gashes and secured them with medical tape.

"Talk to me."

"About what?" He asked.

"Anything. Ask me stuff. Take my mind off the pain in my face, please?" I said.

Jude thought for a moment.

"You did give me a mission." He revealed.

I looked at him confused.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Before you sent me back." He clarified, "I asked you if I had a mission. You said my mission was to enjoy my life. Grow up. Fall in love. Get married. Be happy."

I chuckled softly.

"Sounds like something I'd say." I mumbled, "You've fulfilled three of those. You grew up, you fell in love. You were happy."

"I'm still happy." He corrected before asking another question, "What were you like? When you were younger?"

"What was I like?" I asked in clarification, and received a nod, "Um. Last time I was here, I was a punk. A delinquent. I was the kind of boy you never would have given the time of day. I had a Juvie record a mile long. Shop lifting, truancy, hacking the school computers, hacking ATM machines, plus a lot more stuff I can't even remember. I wasn't a good kid by the time the T-1000 came after me."

I sighed.

"I spent most of my childhood up until I was eight being carted all over the world." I said, "My mom, with help from a litany of people she found with skills I would need, taught me so much. She taught me how to fight. How to survive. Then she got busted."

"What do you mean she got busted?" Jude asked.

"When I was nine my mom got caught trying to blow up a factory belonging to Cyberdyne Systems. After that, I was fostered by this couple, Todd and Janelle, and I remember hating Todd and Janelle's guts."

"Why?" Jude asked tightly, "Were they… abusive?"

"Nah. They were strict." I said, "I couldn't stand them at the time. Now, though? If I could say one thing to them? I would tell them I was sorry. I said so many things to them that I regret."

A tear of remorse leaked from my eyes.

"The T-1000 killed them both before I could ever say it." I said, crying softly, "They died because of me. They didn't deserve it. Their only crime was taking care of a bratty kid for a while."

Jude wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. He leaned his head on my shoulder."

"I remember that I used to zip around L.A on this crappy little dirt bike they gave me." I said, "I had a buddy named Tim, we used to zip around on it with a boom box with Guns N' Roses playing on it. I've changed a lot, but that was only because I thought I was safe. The only similarity between me now and me then is that I still listen to Guns N' Roses."

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

"After all that was over with the T-1000, and mom married my step dad, I saw it as a chance to turn over a new leaf." I continued, "Reinvent myself. Start over without the weight of the world on my shoulders. That's why I hate my original name. It has too much weight and blood attached to it."

More tears started to flow.

"I dread the day when the name _Connor Stevens_ is drenched in as much blood as _John Connor_." I said, "And it kills me to know that I can't stop it from happening."

"We'll stop it. I promise." Jude said, "I know for a fact that Callie, mom, dad, and I weren't the only ones sent back from after the final battle. Hundreds of others were being prepared to be sent through."

I freed myself from his embrace and took a few steps forward.

"No. We can't stop it." I said, "I can see that."

"You can't just give up hope." He argued.

"I'm not. I'm being realistic, Jude." I answered, "We have no idea who builds Skynet in this world. We have no idea where to even start. Even if we did get a clue, and it turned about to be useful, and we destroyed everything we could find having to do with the creation of Skynet, somebody else would come along and pick up where they left off, just like they did with Cyberdyne. All we'd do was postpone Judgment Day another couple years. And we'd have to do it again and again. We'd cause so much trouble, we'd be the most wanted men in the world."

"Then what are we gonna do?" He asked despondently, "Give up and run?"

"No. If we can't stop it, then we're gonna prepare." I said, "We're gonna be prepared for it this time. We're gonna find the people that were sent back. We're gonna gather them all together, we're gonna lie low until your eye heals, and then we're gonna train. The Resistance in the future has reprogrammed Terminators. I would send them through to protect the others just in case Skynet sent more through before we could stop them. I know I would, which means we'll have a small army of them too."

I paced while I spoke, and Jude just sat on the hood of the car watching me.

"Right here, right now? This is it." I said gravely.

He quirked an eyebrow.

"This is the beginning." I continued, staring off into the distance, "But today isn't the beginning of Skynet's abortion."

He stood and moved at stand at my side.

"This is the formation of the Resistance." I said, "And the only thing that makes it bearable is knowing that you're here by my side. My partner. My second in command. My boyfriend."

I turned and hugged him.

"We'll find our families, find the other resistance members and their protectors, and we'll hunt down any Terminators that were sent back by Skynet."

We stood there, wrapped in each other's embrace. Jude pulled away first and stared into my eyes, before leaning in and placing a kiss on my lips, which I returned. After we broke the kiss, we stood in silence until Jude broke it with a solemn statement.

"And the war begins."


End file.
